Hyderabad, 3 September: Bharat Biotech International (BBIL), Hyderabad-based biotechnology company, has launched BioHib, an indigenously developed and manufactured Haemophilus Influenza type b (Hib) vaccine.

According to the company, Hib causes meningitis and severe pneumonia, leading to 3 million cases of serious illness and 4 lakh deaths each year in children under 5 years. BioHib is a conjugate vaccine that has proven its safety and efficacy in multi-centric clinical trials.

BBIL president Krishna Mohan said the company had made investments to the tune of $4 million over the past 4 years into its research and development capabilities and its manufacturing facilities to enable the production of BioHib. Export of the product would commence shortly.

BBIL also announced the launch of its tetravalent combination vaccine, Comvac4-HB containing diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus and hepatitis B in one vaccine. These two vaccines, BioHib and Comvac4-HB, enable the deployment of a combination pentavalent vaccine in a single injection.

"The launch of BioHib is a significant milestone for Bharat Biotech and more importantly for India, since all technologies were developed within India. BioHib has the ability to save the lives of millions of children worldwide at a very affordable price. The tetravalent and pentavalent vaccines give us the ability to protect children against multiple infectious diseases with a single injection. BioHib and Comvac4-HB are the latest offerings from Bharat Biotech in its commitment to develop safe and affordable vaccines for the developing world," Krishna M Ella, BBIL, CMD, stated in a release.